The Passion of the Christ by John Debney

“...it is a testament to Debney’s skill that his
numerous non-Western melodic and instrumental choices are as
engaging as they are to pop music aficionados. ”

John Debney's
Passion
Review by Cap Stewart

I witnessed a unique
occurrence after
seeing THE PASSION OF
THE CHRIST. During the
end credits, no one
made a noise. There
was no talking,
laughing, or even
whispering. Everyone
filed out of the
theater without a
word. Such was the
effect the movie had
on its audience. The
film had—and has—left
an indelible cinematic
mark.

Originally, Mel Gibson
considered having the
final cut of THE
PASSION OF THE CHRIST
devoid of any
subtitles or
underscore. But after
realizing these
elements would help
move the story along,
he finally decided on
John Debney as his
composer—an intriguing
choice, seeing as how
Debney had written
more comedy scores
than anything else.
Many wondered if
Debney could handle
the dramatic material.
As a Catholic, his
heart echoed the
sentiments of the
film’s message, but
could he bear the
weight of this
assignment? Would the
burden prove to be too
much?

As it turns out,
Debney was up to the
task. The music to THE
PASSION OF THE CHRIST
is a truly eclectic
mix: ethnic
instrumentation (with
numerous cultural
influences), brooding
atmosphere,
synthesizers, pounding
rhythms, and various
choral performances.
Somehow, it all works.

Much of the
soundtrack—most of the
first half, in
fact—consists of
atmospheric
meanderings. Two
standout tracks during
this first half of the
score are “Bearing the
Cross” (track 2),
during which we are
introduced to many of
the score’s principal
elements, and “Peter
Denies Jesus” (track
4), where we hear the
main theme for the
first time. Most of
the engaging thematic
material is reserved
for the second half of
the album, beginning
with “Mary Goes to
Jesus” (track 9). This
track begins softly
with a mournful (yet
almost soothing)
female vocalist,
joined first by the
strings and then the
rest of the London
Voices in an emotional
power punch that
prepares us for the
rest of the score.

The dramatic anchor of
the album is
“Crucifixion” (track
11). Twice in the
first three minutes,
the choir and
percussion elements
dramatically build and
then subside. As the
first nail pierces
Christ’s flesh, Debney
utilizes a beautiful
melody performed on
strings. Someone not
familiar with the
material might mistake
this for a love theme.
Then again, “mistake”
isn’t the best word.
Gibson wanted Debney
to create a musical
juxtaposition for this
scene, representing
the redemptive nature
of the crucifixion.
The music underlies
the idea that Jesus
was not forced to
die—he chose to die.
The dark beauty behind
Gibson’s brutal and
horrific cinematic
images shines through
in Debney’s
composition. (The
subsequent piercing of
Christ’s side is also
accompanied by a
beautifully haunting
string motif—found
ninety seconds into
track 14.)

The final track,
“Resurrection,” offers
an appropriately
triumphant finale to
the score with the
choir performing the
main theme accompanied
by energetic
percussion. While it
is not melodically or
instrumentally similar
to any of Danny
Elfman’s famous film
score finales,
Debney’s finale
provides the same
artistic and emotional
weight. The last two
minutes of the track
are more subdued,
leading to a quiet and
sober conclusion to
the album.

Some of the cues from
THE PASSION OF THE
CHRIST have been
compared (and not
unfairly) to the work
of Hans Zimmer and
Lisa Gerard in
GLADIATOR. Also, the
cue “Raising the
Cross” (track 12)
almost sounds as if it
came out of a Jerry
Bruckheimer
production.
Nevertheless, these
similarities in no way
reduce Debney’s work
to the level of “hack
job.” His use of
ethnic instrumentation
is varied to a large
degree. Furthermore,
it is a testament to
Debney’s skill that
his numerous
non-Western melodic
and instrumental
choices are as
engaging as they are
to pop music
aficionados. (If you
disagree, just look at
the financial success
of the soundtrack
album.)

In his 2004
Tracksounds interview, Debney made the
following comment: “I
would say this
[score]…would probably
express most clearly
who I am and what I
believe. It has
certainly been the
hardest thing I’ve
done and yet the most
rewarding.” Our
sentiment is similar:
THE PASSION OF THE
CHRIST is a rewarding
listen. It may take a
while for the melodic
material to kick into
high gear, but the
soundtrack’s overall
score gets bumped up a
few points for the
sheer power of the
album’s second half.